India has relaxed citizenship norms for certain categories of Pakistani nationals staying in India and asked state governments and Union territories to sympathetically consider requests for extension of long-term visa (LTV). The categories of Pakistani nationals who would be covered include members of minority communities in Pakistan (Hindus and Sikhs), Pakistani women married to Indian nationals and staying in India, Indian women married to Pakistani nationals and returning due to widowhood/divorce and having no male member to support them in Pakistan and other cases involving extreme compassion, a home ministry official was quoted as saying by Indian media. In its direction to state governments, India's home ministry said since such Pakistani nationals have come to India permanently with the intention to attain Indian citizenship, state governments should sympathetically consider cases for extension of LTV without insisting on validity of passports as per the provisions of the gazette notification issued on 15 May 2010.